50 Things That Matter

The internet is guilty of information overload. Thankfully, with this information overload comes a newer, higher standard of content expectation, which results in bigger, better, badder posts. Sometimes, these posts are relevant, good, money making, entertaining, or hopefully, all of the above. But so few of them actually matter.

Occasionally I’ll come across a blog post, quote or page design that grabs me, shakes me, and changes my life. These are the most recent 50 things to have done that. They vary, from inspirational quotes, to direct improvements for the internet professional’s life, to leadership advice, but more generally, these “things that matter” can be used to improve yourself, or your thinking, in some way, shape, or form. They will most directly benefit the internet professional, as I am one, but there are plenty of takeaways for those people who work offline as well. If there weren’t, this list wouldn’t matter.

You’ll find that I pull from certain sources multiple times. This isn’t nepotism or some nudge to all my internet friends – in actuality; I don’t know one person on this list personally (although I’d like to). However, I do think highly of all of them. The few I pulled from multiple times have common characteristics that make me greatly respect their opinions. These two characteristics are authenticity and intelligence. Put these two determining factors together and you will have a high probability of things that matter.

To the list. Sometimes, I’ll post a summary, where it’s necessary. Sometimes I won’t, because I don’t want my message to dilute the original author’s piece, as some of these are sometimes very simplistic, but very, very amazing.

6. “5 Ways to Become Happier Today”, by Tal Ben-Shahar — http://bigthink.com/ideas/16660 — Five ways to make yourself happier, suggested by a Harvard psychology lecturer. They aren’t as obvious as you might think – and even if they are, they are good reminders that what you’re doing is right, and to keep at it.

7. “Nobody has to be vile”, by Slavoj Zizek —http://www.lrb.co.uk/v28/n07/slavoj-zizek/nobody-has-to-be-vile — A challenging article uprooting the idea of “liberal communism” that is found in many of the rich upper-managers of Fortune-500s and the elite entertainment populace. If you’re not ready to think, put this on the back burner, but don’t forget it – cause it matters.

12. “The Way I Work”, by Jason Fried —http://www.inc.com/magazine/20091101/the-way-i-work-jason-fried-of-37signals.html — A look into the typical workday of 37signals founder Jason Fried. Seems straightforward, but for anyone that’s a fan of 37signals, you know it’s anything but. Jason gives an account of the way we should work (in my opinion), through an in-depth synopsis of how his typical work day normally looks.

14. “Life Below 600px”, by Paddy Donnely – http://iampaddy.com/lifebelow600/ — A little discussion (and a beautiful bit of design storytelling), on “the fold”, a typical part of the internet experience. More than a design lesson, this page also offers some storytelling takeaways, if you interpret it that way.

16. “The Nerd Handbook” by Rands — http://www.randsinrepose.com/archives/2007/11/11/the_nerd_handbook.html — Ever wonder what’s going on in that nerd developers mind in the corner of your office? Ever think their swimming in the deep end of some pool with a 4000 feet deep end? Then read Rands’ definitive guide on “the Nerd” construct, and maybe, you’ll start understanding that guy (or girl) a little bit better.

17. “Have you ever had that fantasy of taking..” by Merlin Mann, via marco.org — http://www.marco.org/503225622 — A quote that can be taken many different ways. I took it in a “stuff sucks”, minimalism rules, escapism kind of way. I’m sure you’ll take it some great way as well.

20. “Why Our Leadership System is Flawed”, by Ross Hudgens — http://www.rosshudgens.com/why-our-leadership-system-is-flawed/ — I lied, I do know one person on this list – myself. I believe in the reality (and matterness) of this post, which is why I wrote it, and why I’m sharing it. “I only lead because I’m at the front. I don’t lead because others are behind me.”

22. “Hiring & The Sixth Sense”, by Dustin Curtis —http://dustincurtis.com/hiring.html — We never truly know the value of experience until we have it. We’ll always be smart, but we won’t always be wise.

24. “Learn to Fucking Spell”, by Paddy Donnely — http://iampaddy.com/spell/ – Communication matters. Every time I edit a blog post, read a book, or analyze a website as a link building target, I constantly think “quality signal, quality signal, quality signal”. What low quality signals are you giving off?

28. “you, less than”, by Pam Slim, via Gaping Void —http://gapingvoid.com/2010/04/15/you-less-than/ — It will happen, and happen, and happen. Forty compliments that make you smile, followed by one insult that destroys your world. Pam Slim explains that you, less than, is a lie.

34. “Maker’s Schedule, Manager’s Schedule”, by Paul Graham — http://www.paulgraham.com/makersschedule.html – Interruption is a common theme running through workplace productivity discussions in our Web 2.0 world. Paul Graham explains one portion of it in a way nobody had before.

43. “Don’t punish everybody for one mistake”, by Derek Sivers — http://sivers.org/punish – In life, we overcompensate for every isolated thing that happens to us. When one in a million happens, we make it one in ten. Derek explains why we should see through the one in ten mentality and identify one in a million when it occurs.

44. “Japanese Addresses: the opposite is also true”, by Derek Sivers — http://sivers.org/jaddr – So I like Derek Sivers. A lot. This is another great one about assumptions, and how the word should essentially be dropped from our vocabulary.

49. “Johnny Talks about Motivation”, by Johnny Truant – http://ittybiz.com/johnny-talks-about-motivation/ – Motivation is perishable, but where does it come from? Where can we get that unflinching push that makes us never stop until we get something done? Truant gives a great analogy and supplies the “what it takes” part of the equation.

This isn’t the all-encompassing list, definitely. I want to find more things that matter and share them with you. If you have some things you think matter and would like me to know to include in the next list, e-mail me. Or leave it in the comments. Or talk to me on Twitter.

If you were paying attention, this is a good time to say “You should follow me on Twitter here.” I try and find stuff that matters and share it. If you do too, contact me, and I’ll gladly follow and disseminate your stuff. In a space where “5 Social Media Resources that are Cool” is way too commonplace, we need more people finding the stuff they love and spreading it to the world.

Ideally, I’d rather not have to spend two months compiling the next list.

My favorite: “I really wish I spent more time being a dick to people.” – Will Wheaton